Hamlin is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in Monroe County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, United States. The population was 8,725 at the 2020 census, down from 9,045 in

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

. The town is in the northwestern part of the county and is the second-largest town in area in the county.

History

The town of Hamlin was created as the town of Union, and was renamed in 1861 as Hamlin in honor of

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

's first vice president,

Hannibal Hamlin Hannibal Hamlin (August 27, 1809 – July 4, 1891) was an American politician and diplomat who was the 15th vice president of the United States, serving from 1861 to 1865, during President Abraham Lincoln's first term. He was the first Republi ...

. Hamlin was initially a part of the town of Northampton. The town of Murray was split from Northampton in 1807, and was split again into Union and Clarkson on December 14, 1852. The North Star School District No. 11 was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 2014.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the town has a total area of , of which are land and , or 3.01%, are water. The northern boundary of the town is

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The Canada–United Sta ...

, and the western town line is the border of Orleans County, marked by New York State Route 272 (Monroe Orleans County Line Rd). The south town line borders the town of Clarkson, marked by Clarkson Hamlin Town Line Road that intersects Lake Road (New York State Route 19) south of Hamlin village. The eastern town line borders the town of

Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...

, marked by Hamlin-Parma Townline Road. The Lake Ontario State Parkway passes across the north part of the town. The city of Rochester is to the southeast, and the village of Brockport is to the south.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 9,355 people, 3,255 households, and 2,532 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 3,503 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.78%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.09%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.35% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.68% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.60% of the population. There was a myth that Hamlin's name was derived from that of the German city of Hamelin, this due to the fact that many residents in or near the hamlet of Hamlin were descended from German immigrants who had arrived during the late 1800s and settled in that part of the town. This had coincided with the town's renaming from Union in 1861. There were 3,255 households, out of which 43.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.2% were non-families. 17.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.24. In the town, the population was spread out, with 30.8% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 6.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $49,987, and the median income for a family was $55,020. Males had a median income of $39,722 versus $24,698 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $18,978. About 4.7% of families and 6.0% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 6.4% of those under age 18 and 1.7% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The town is governed by an elected town board, consisting of the town supervisor and four council members. Support soards include: *Planning board *Zoning board of appeals *Conservation board

Communities and locations in Hamlin

*Benedict Beach – A beachside hamlet on Lake Ontario. *Bluff Beach – A location in the northwest part of the town near Troutburg. *Brockport Yacht Club-- Located on the South Shore of Lake Ontario, near the mouth of Sandy Creek, it is primarily a sailing club. * Hamlin – the

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

(and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

) of Hamlin on Route 19. * Hamlin Beach State Park – A

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...

on the shore of Lake Ontario in the northwest part of the town. *Hamlin Recreation Area – A park south of Hamlin village. *Huntington Park – A location south of Hamlin village and near the south town line. *Kendall Mills – A hamlet on the west town line. *Morton – A hamlet at the west town line on Route 272. *North Hamlin – A hamlet, formerly "Thomasville," south of the Lake Ontario State Parkway. *Onteo Beach – A beachside hamlet on Lake Ontario. *Sandy Harbor Beach – A beachside hamlet on Lake Ontario. *Shore Acres – A beachside hamlet on Lake Ontario. *Troutburg – A beachside hamlet by Lake Ontario and the Lake Ontario State Parkway in the northwest corner of the town. It is at the west end of Hamlin Beach State Park. *Walker – A hamlet in the southeast part of the town on Route 260.

References

External links

* {{authority control Rochester metropolitan area, New York Towns in Monroe County, New York Towns in New York (state) 1852 establishments in New York (state) Populated places established in 1852 Hannibal Hamlin